Sat 23 Jun 2012
A Pretty Pickle
Posted by Bob under Recipes, Vegetable Garden
[4] Comments
I’m generally not a huge fan of either radishes or pickles, but an article in the February/March Organic Gardening induced me to order seeds for the “watermelon radish” (less picturesquely also known as the “Chinese red meat” radish) from Baker Creek. As the pictures above show, the radish when sliced really does look like a miniature watermelon, and the taste is sweet and mild as radishes go. Dipped in lime juice, it’s especially nice. For a cup of watermelon radish slices, a recipe in the article also recommended pickling in 1/2 cup Champagne vinegar, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water and a pinch of sea salt. They’re ready to eat in two days and have gotten good reviews from friends who are more pickle aficionados than I, who likes them too!
Despite the radish’s classification as a fall radish, I successfully grew it in the spring, although it does take about twice as long as a regular radish to bulb out.
Hi Bob,
I am not a pickle, or radish eater either, but am surrounded by many who are. With limited space to grow anything, I look for something to plant that I can’t find at the local farmer’s market, or grocery store. These look interesting,and worth a try. When would you suggest planting in South Jersey?
Well, since it’s recommended as a fall vegetable, I’d plant towards the end of August. I expect to be planting another set down here about that time.
Thank you for the tip. Baker Creek is out of stock of the seeds at this time. They are available from other companies, however Baker Creek is the only company that refers to the seeds as heirloom.
Since you have had a positive experience with this company, I’ll will wait until next season when the seeds become available.
Sorry about the typo. I meant to say I will wait until next season.